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Against Conscription In Canada

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During the conscription crisis of 1917, Canada was still a relatively young and inexperienced country, and did not yet have the capability or independence to deal with such an issue. However, one question was made clear to all Canadians… could national unity be maintained throughout the crisis? In 1939 Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King made the same promise to that of his predecessor Robert Borden; in Canada, there would be no conscription and all military service would be voluntary. “Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription” was a statement made by King during the Plebiscite in 1942 and just like Borden, he too had broken his promise to Canadian citizens. Twice now in Canada 's history, conscription has demonstrated to be a poor “solution” that is not only destructive to the patriotism and unity that Canadians had struggled to build, but also resulted in the division of families, the separation of francophone and anglophone …show more content…

Citizens gain an understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices people in the military make. However, despite this… without the recognition of human rights, peace still can’t be achieved, whether its individual, cultural, or gender based rights. Even though forced labour is considered a violation of human rights, the practice of compulsory military service isn’t. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights only moved towards recognizing the right of individuals to object to military service in 1987. However, though this acknowledgment is a step forwards, it remains limited; this is because it solely refers to the military service itself, and does not include the right to object to auxiliary forms of service and only sees absolute and universal objections towards military service, excluding those who object to certain military activities or

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Events from the Home Front #1 - Conscription One of the most serious controversies experienced by many at the home front during WW1 was conscription. In 1914 Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden declared that conscription would never be necessary in Canada. Only 2810 men signed up to fight during the war but the Canadian government needed more men. In 1917 conscription was introduced and men were forced to enlist for the war as a result of the Military Service Act that was passed by Prime Minister Borden. Men aged 20-45 were forced to leave their families, join the war and fight for Britain.

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1016 Words | 5 Pages

This promise would appeal to the French Canadians that did not feel a connection to Britain and did not feel any sense of loyalty. He also saw how conscription divided Canada at the end of the first world war, and did not want to recreate that scene. There came a time near the end of world war two when there was a shortage of men. This was due as a result of D-Day and the Dieppe raid. Many men were dying in the war and that must have discouraged other men in Canada from signing up.

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1259 Words | 6 Pages

Today, Canada is seen as a multicultural and peaceful nation that has evolved over the course of history. This great nation would never have been possible without the impact that former Prime Minister, Lester B. Pearson left on this country. His achievements and insights profoundly affected and shaped Canada’s nation. First, peacekeeping is an important part of Canada’s heritage and a reflection of its fundamental beliefs that Pearson implemented after dealing with world changing situations and winning a Nobel Prize. Also, his contributions as a liberal leader as well as the flaws and controversy with Diefenbaker did in fact define this country.

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When Congress passed Amendments XIII, XIV, and XV the plan was to legalize privileges granted to all parties in the reconstruction process, and to make known consequences if not followed. Unfortunately these precepts were not strictly enforced and the white south reverted to previous behaviors. Conveniently Mississippi devised their own plan to control the lives of the black populace. The Mississippi plan spells out the intentions of the white south to curb the influence of the black population.

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1054 Words | 5 Pages

William Lyon Mackenzie King, a man of glory, forever changed Canada’s constitution during the tumultuous nineteenth century and resolved all difficulties Canada faced on its way to becoming a strong, independent, and autonomous nation. His contributions and sanctions targeted all factors at the time and had interrelated effects on the construction of Canada. Unlike other Canadian politicians, King handled every crisis with thorough planning and achieved promising outcomes from unsolvable problems. It is without a doubt that King was the most influential figure in Canada’s development. His role in the autonomy, economic development, and social stability stands as solid evidence of the pioneering impacts he had on Canada’s advancement.

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1298 Words | 6 Pages

From the beginning of the United States’ history, conflict has always been prevalent. The need for armed forces continually grows, especially in times of war, as the fight for freedom becomes more challenging. Conscription, better known as the draft, was first introduced during the Civil War as a way to get more individuals involved in the military to fill vacant positions. The practice of the draft was finally discontinued in favor of an all-volunteer military system, when the need for troops was no longer necessary. After almost two decades of being involved overseas, the demand for armed troops is imperative once again.

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203 Words | 1 Pages

W.L. Mackenzie King’s decision to conscript soldiers during WWII is necessary and justified. The poster 's message is to simply convince Canadian citizens to agree that conscription is necessary for the Allies to win the war. The propaganda poster is targeted towards Canadian citizens but mainly young males and French Canadians living in Quebec. It is important to target French Canadians to agree with conscription because majority of French Canadians voted “no” and are against conscripting soldiers for the reason that they feel excluded and not connected to the war. Whereas, English Canadians feel nationalism causing them to agree with conscription and vote “yes”.

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Argument research essay The Selective Service Act gives the United States president the authorization to draft soldiers into war. It was enacted in 1917 during World War I and last practiced during the Vietnam War is 1973, drafting 2.2 million soldiers. Although last used over forty years ago, today, men are still legally required to sign up for the draft within thirty days of their birthday or face consequences, fines, or prison time. When it was first instated, there were only approximately one-hundred-thousand people who volunteered for the military so then president, Woodrow Wilson, found it necessary to have a draft if the US were to stand a chance in

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Approaching the end of the 1915, Australian experienced a leadership change. The prime minister at that time, William Hughes was a support of Conscription. Conscription means a compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces ( the army ). However, the majority of people in the Labor Party did not support conscription and therefore caused conflict.

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Throughout history, countries are inevitably pulled into conflicts that result in war. These conflicts usually occur because of interests in: economic gain, territorial gain, religion, and nationalism. America, like every country, needs a military to defend itself, especially when tensions arise in other parts of the world and when militia numbers start to decrease. This then allows the government to draft its population to serve in the military. People argue that young men and women’s bright lives are often cut short, and not allowed their Constitutional right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, but there are many benefits for the nation and the individual by serving one’s country.

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Canada has been defined by its contributions at home and abroad in WWI, WWII, and peacekeeping. World War I played an important role in Canada’s history. It shaped Canada by giving women suffrage and by the war creating a greater divide between French and English Canadians. By the end of WWI, the Canadian government

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264 Words | 2 Pages

onscription seems to violate some of the rights mentioned in both the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The debated constitutionality of conscription has gone on for years because the practice is listed in the constitution. However, there is no max extent to conscription power leading to disagreements between citizens and the government about how the use of this practice can lead to the constraint of other constitutional rights.

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accountability ultimately depends on a clear democratic transition. “For a country undergoing a profound transformation, moving from a past of systematic human rights abuses to a democratic future where rights are protected, the pursuit of justice can appear daunting. Members of the old regime and their supporters have had the tables turned; they must now coexist with the new regime and it’s prodemocracy force” (Cardenas 2010). “Central to the human rights problem in democratic transitions is the military regime that is left behind. The concern here is not so much with present and future conditions that would ensure the achievement of human rights as with the imperative to deal with unresolved issues.

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920 Words | 4 Pages

The Canadian Constitution is the fundamental documents that help to guide the Canadian people and govern the different governments throughout Canada. These documents were created to unite the country together during its time of confederation along with helping to create unity for any of the new provinces that would continue to join the confederation of Canada up until the late 1990s. For many Canadians, however, it has begun to seem as though these once unifying documents are now creating more of a divide around the country rather than unification; this divide can often be seen throughout many of the Quebec separatist movements that have occurred over generations. This creation of a divide across the country, mainly in Quebec, has shown that

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1040 Words | 5 Pages

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda, in which some 800 000 people died in just 100 days, stands as one of the most chilling illustrations of the scope of atrocities that conflict can generate. The protracted conflicts in Angola and Sudan demonstrate that this kind of abuse does not only flare up in the short-term: in both countries, the population experienced decades of human rights violations resulting from the wars taking place (Lamb 2000:35). At times, specific human rights abuses have deliberately been used as a strategy of war to fight and intimidate opponents and terrorize civilians. The mutilation and amputation of people’s hands and other body parts by the rebels of Foday Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone is a case in point, as was the systematic use of rape in “ethnic cleansing” in Bosnia. Human rights may also be affected in more indirect ways, through for example, the destruction of people’s livelihoods or the refusal of belligerent parties to allow humanitarian relief activities in areas under their

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